Hair-Washing to Sin-Washing!

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From hair-washing to sin-washing, God has been telling a beautiful story.

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In January 2025, Epiphany Hair & Care, a ministry of Epiphany Lutheran Church, met the Cedric family (wife & 5 kids) at a simple African hair braiding event. What began as an act of welcome and care quickly became the start of a relationship rooted in love, trust, and shared life in Christ. The family, originally from the Congo and now living in St. Louis, was no longer just being served- they were becoming family.

Epiphany Lutheran Church is filled with joy as recently six of Cedric’s children: Cedrick, Natasha, Evina, Jeannette, Mishu, and Myanda, ranging in age from 12 years old to just 2 weeks old, were baptized! From hair-washing to sin-washing, God has been at work - cleansing, claiming, and calling these children His own.

Christian Friends of New Americans has been a vital part of this journey. CFNA Executive Director, Pastor Stanish Stanley, has been instrumental in building connections and providing faithful care and support for Cedric’s family. His leadership reflects CFNA’s ongoing commitment to walking alongside new Americans with compassion and the love of Christ.

At Epiphany Lutheran Church, led by Pastor Tim Staffeld, we are overjoyed to welcome Cedric’s family into our faith family. Their presence has shaped us, teaching us what it means to love across cultures and to serve one another as Christ serves us. Over this past year, we have grown in love and service because they are among us.

Baptism is a pure gift of grace. In baptism, God adopts us into His family, washes away sin, and declares that we belong to Him. What began at a hair-washing table now flows from the waters of the font, a reminder that God often works through simple acts of care to accomplish eternal promises.

We give thanks to God for the work of CFNA, for Cedric’s family, and for the many ways Christ continues to gather His people, drawing us together from all nations into one family through the saving waters of baptism.

by Pastor Tim Staffeld,
Epiphany Lutheran Church